L-R: Neil, Roberta, their son Ryan and Roberta’s parents, Gwen and Bob Manns. Three generations of Ag graduates from the University of Manitoba Ag Faculty.
What’s your name? Roberta Galbraith
I have been a farmer since: part-time farmer since the mid 80s, around 1985, but my husband Neil and I started farming full-time about 8 years ago.
I have been a Farm At Hand user since: 2015. It’s very user-friendly and the team is open to feedback and suggestions to improve the platform even more for farmers.
Where do you farm? NW Minnedosa, MB, along the Yellowhead Highway.
What do you grow? We grow mainly grains and oilseeds. This year we are growing soybeans and faba beans for the first time. Also, you might be interested to know that we have been zero-till farming for 20 years.
How did you get into farming? I am a fifth generation farmer both from my mom and my dad’s side. When my husband and I started farming, we started from scratch – my parents could only support us with some machinery use. And now my husband and I farm over 3,500 acres with our son, Ryan.
What do you love about farming? I love the rural lifestyle and I am passionate about Agriculture. There are challenges, but there are also plenty of opportunities. I like that I am also my own boss.
What’s one of your favourite moments? There are lots to love. I love that I farm with my family. And also the rural lifestyle. People go to the lake to get back to nature. Me? I am happy to be on my deck listening to birds singing.
What’s your most important piece of equipment and why?
The sprayer is one of our most used pieces of equipment but I have to say our GPS equipment are the most important Efficiencies that have been gained by using this equipment have been noticeable.
Smartphones have also revolutionized the way we farm. It’s made it possible for us to stay connected and run our business from anywhere.
What’s your biggest lessons learned in farming/Ag this year? Mother Nature – she’s the one who really runs the show! We can be the best managers in the world but at the end of the day there are some things that can be hard to mitigate, like weathering the storms that have been rolling through or the frost that totally took out our first seeded canola and we had to replant all of our canola.
If there is one thing you want the general population to know about farming, what would that be? That farmers are very aware of their impact on the land, people around them and of food security. It’s important to recognize that we know this and our livelihood depends on it.
We are also aware that customers have questions – and farmers would love to answer those questions. If you wonder about the facts or have questions about food production, ask a farmer.
Where can we find you online? I am @robertacanola on Twitter.
Over 21,000 farms use Farm At Hand. Join us!
